This invention relates to a female member of a mechanical fastener consisting a pair of male and female members adapted to be releasably engaged with each other.
Japanese Patent Application Disclosure Gazette (Kokai) No. Hei2-18036 discloses an example of such a female member, in which a fibrous layer having a fineness of 1.about.10 d and a basis weight of 5.about.200 g/m.sup.2 is laminated on a plastic film having a thickness of approximately 0.025.about.0.13 mm and in which the fibrous layer form a corrugated structure. In this corrugated structure, regions of the fibrous layer projecting from the plastic film engageably receive a male member (referred to also as a hook member) of the mechanical fastener.
When an article to which the mechanical fastener is attached includes clothes and other garments such as diapers, it is often desired that at least one of the female and male members is as soft as possible to avoid a problem that this member might irritate a wearer's skin. Sometimes, it is also desired for this member to have a sufficiently low rigidity to allow clothes or the like to which this member is attached to be easily deformed. Such requirement should be met particularly when the mechanical fastener is employed in disposable diapers for babies. However, with the conventional female member as described above, the fibrous layer forming the corrugated structure might lose its initial softness and become rigid due to the presence of the plastic film.